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Red Sox Announce Roster Moves

Right-handed pitcher Joe Kelly was added to the active major league roster. To make room for him on the 25-man roster, right-handed pitcher Anthony Ranaudo was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket following last night's game.

Catcher David Ross was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right plantar fasciitis. To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, catcher Dan Butler was recalled from Pawtucket.

Kelly (wearing no. 56) and Butler (wearing No. 61) will be active for today's game against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park beginning at 4:05 p.m.

For Butler, 27, this is his first career major league stint. The catcher has spent all of 2014 with Pawtucket, appearing in 76 games and hitting .227 (59-for-260) with 17 doubles, four homers, 28 RBI, and 30 runs scored. He has thrown out 27 percent of attempted base stealers from behind the plate (13 of 48). Last season, he was named the PawSox' team MVP in his first full year at Triple-A after recording a career-high 14 home runs in 84 games. In 490 games over six minor league seasons in the Red Sox system, Butler has hit .254 (421-for-1656) with 113 doubles, six triples, 47 home runs, and 239 RBI, and he has thrown out 166 of 530 attempted base stealers (31%). The Red Sox signed the Phoenix, AZ native as a non-drafted free agent on July 28, 2009 out of the University of Arizona.

Kelly, 26, was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday along with outfielder/first baseman Allen Craig in exchange for right-handed pitcher John Lackey, minor league left-handed pitcher Corey Littrell, and cash considerations. He has gone 2-2 with a 4.37 ERA (17 ER/35.0 IP) in seven starts for St. Louis this season. For his big league career, the Anaheim, CA native is 17-14 with a 3.25 ERA (96 ER/266.0 IP) in 68 games, including 15-11 with a 3.25 ERA (77 ER/213.1) in 38 starts. He was a third-round selection (98th overall) of the Cardinals in the 2009 June Draft.

Ranaudo, 24, started and earned the win in his major league debut yesterday against the Yankees. He held the Yankees to two runs in 6.0 innings, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out two. The native of Freehold, NJ returns to Pawtucket, where he is 12-4 with a 2.41 ERA and a .205 opponent batting average in 21 starts. In 119.1 innings with the PawSox, he has fanned 99 batters compared to just 88 hits and 49 walks allowed. Signed as a supplemental round selection in the 2010 June Draft, he is 33-18 with a 3.44 ERA (162 ER/424.0 IP) and 370 strikeouts in 81 career minor league outings, including 80 starts.

Ross, 37, left last night's game due to injury after the sixth inning. In 40 games for the Red Sox this year, he is 24-for-125 (.192), with 12 of his hits going for extra bases (6 2B, 6 HR), and 12 RBI. Defensively, he has thrown out eight base-stealers in 35 attempts (23%). In 13 big league seasons with the Dodgers (2002-04), Pirates (2005), Padres (2005), Reds (2006-08), Braves (2009-12), and Red Sox (2008, 2013-14), Ross has hit .234 (451-for-1,928) with 100 doubles, five triples, 94 home runs, 270 RBI, 232 walks, and 220 runs scored over 734 games.